The United States with its top-notch universities and esteemed professors is at the forefront of learning and hence, it is no surprise that attracts the highest number of international students. Every year more than 10 lakh students come to the United States for studies in the best international universities and to elevate their career to the next level.
However, even after getting selected for your dream course, the last step and an important step of getting the student visa still needs to be completed. Getting a student visa is not an easy process as it involves a number of steps, a plethora of documents and of course, the critical visa interview. The Visa officer takes the visa interview and he is a trained professional and ensures that you have a good motive for going to the United States. It is recommended that as soon as you finalise your college, you ought to apply for the student visa. Applying at the right time is very important. At the same time, there is a constraint though, as the visa cannot be issued more than 120 days in advance to your program commencement.
The US Visa Process
1. Prior to the Interview
Complete the DS-160 form and take a printout of the confirmation. The next important step is to fill the I-20 form, which is issued by the university. Ensure that you make the payment for the form on the immigration website.
2. Schedule the Interview and Pay the Fee
Once you have a confirmation from your university, you can schedule the visa appointment. Two appointments have to be taken – one for the Visa Application Centre (VAC) and the other for the visa interview at the US Embassy. Note that the appointment at the VAC has to be scheduled at least a day before the interview at the Embassy.
The SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) and the visa application fees of $200 and $160 respectively have to be paid before the interview.
3. Visa Application Centre Documents
The documents needed for the VAC appointment are:
- A valid Indian passport with validity at least 6 months beyond your stay
- DS-160 confirmation page
- Appointment Confirmation
- A passport size photograph with white background
- I-20 form sent by the university
4. Embassy or Consulate Appointment Documents
After the visa application centre, the student has to visit the embassy for the visa interview. The documents required are:-
- Appointment confirmation
- DS-160 confirmation page
- All the current and old passports
- A passport size photograph with white background
- If needed supporting documents mentioned in the appointment confirmation
- I-20 form sent by the university
- Valid test score sheets as required according to field of study
Also Read - US Student Visa: Note These Do's and Don’ts!
Please ensure that you produce all the genuine documents at the interview. If a person is found with fake documents, his/her request for a visa will be denied by the consular officer.
